Arnie in Russia: October 2011

"And then Shostakovich said meditatively: of course, it's about fascism, but music, real music is never literally tied to a theme. Fascism is not simply National Socialism, and this is music about terror, slavery, and oppression of the spirit. Later, when Shostakovich got used to me and came to trust me, he said openly that the Seventh (and the Fifth as well) was not only about fascism but about our country and generally about all tyranny and totalitarianism."

Дмитрий Дмитриевич Шостакович or Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was a child prodigy, graduated St. Petersburg Conservatory (then 'Leningrad State Conservatory') and is one of Russia's most famous composers.

Pushkin, Tolstoy and Shostakovich have helped Russia’s spirit endure the darkest moments of its history: the triumph of intense culture over politics.

i thought it would be a great treat to experience the leningrad symphony in leningrad

This concert displayed the music of Shostakovich, and Boris Tischenko.

here
(ФИЛАРМОНИЯ = Philharmonic)

it is a nice concert hall, that displays art:

in one of the art halls, people surrounded this piano while others took turns playing it, until the KGB stormed in shut it down ;)

problem #1

the music was arranged for strings

i was expecting the 'leningrad' symphony in grandeur of its orginal full orchestration

the second problem was simply the ego of the violinist/conductor, who made the experience less than it could of been. just not a cool guy. i closed my eyes to listen.

the biggest problem: they DIDN'T EVEN PLAY THE FULL SYMPHONY!?!

they started a quarter of the way through, played for 15 mins, and then stopped, and went into some silly waltz to end the show. how insulting, to the 70th anniversary of this massive works' premier.

to a piece of music that means so much to this city, im surprised nobody else was questioning why this was happening. had they heard it too much before? did they not want to scrape up the old memories of fascist tyranny and torment?

why this symphony means so much-

for Americans, it is hard to understand the type of censorship that occurred during the soviet union. For the politically disgusted Dimitri Shostakovich, it was harsher than most.

what comes to mind, when i say 'controversy in music'?

Eminem? bad words? sex scandals?

(please answer in comments section)

Symphony 7, or "Leningrad Symphony" and it's 'invasion theme' were popularized as a statement of resistance and defiance to Nazi totalitarianism and militarism. underneath these conceptions, the composers real intent is more complex than that.

Shostakovich wrote music for the people of his country, in disgust and resistance of the political situation, but not without consequences. Stalin and his socialist movement used Shostakovich's music as propaganda, and if he did not conform, the lives of his family and friends as well as his own life and career were threatened. In fact, two of his closest friends were murdered by Stalin.

from his book 'memoirs':

"The majority of my symphonies are tombstones. Too many of our people died and were buried in places unknown to anyone, not even their relatives. It happened to many of my friends. Where do you put the tombstones for Meyerhold or Tukhachevsky (his two friends)? Only music can do that for them. I’m willing to write a composition for each of the victims, but that’s impossible, and that’s why I dedicate my music to them all.

I think constantly of those people, and in almost every major work I try to remind others of them."

Shostakovich lived in an atmosphere of fear for himself and his family, and you can hear it in these symphonies.

“The constant anticipation of arrest affected his mind. For nearly four decades, until his death, he would see himself as a hostage, a condemned man. The fear might increase or decrease, but it never disappeared- The entire country had become an enormous prison from which there was no escape.”

this feeling has lingered here. there is a residue that I detect in the beliefs and emotions of the people. i met three young men on the street whom believed that it was impossible for them to leave this country; like they were imprisoned here. i explained to them that theres plenty of things that they could do to make enough money to travel. they proceeded to deny this, so i listed some examples of people, groups, and artists from Russia that have traveled abroad. many lower class people that live here, feel this way, and will probably never do anything to stand up to their government, or try to change it. (wink to the occupiers in US)

Shostakovich wrote 16 symphonies in total, and explains his main motivation for composing his symphonies from the 1930’s onward-

“Naturally, fascism is repugnant to me, but not only German fascism, any form of it is repugnant. Nowadays people like to recall the prewar period...saying that everything was fine until Hitler bothered us. Hitler is a criminal, that’s clear, but so is Stalin.

“I feel eternal pain for those who were killed by Hitler, but I feel no less pain for those killed on Stalin’s orders. I suffer for everyone who was tortured, shot, or starved to death. There were millions of them in our country before the war with Hitler began.

“The war brought much new sorrow and much new destruction, but I haven’t forgotten the terrible prewar years. That is what all my symphonies, beginning with the Fourth, are about, including the Seventh and Eighth.“Actually, I have nothing against calling the Seventh the Leningrad Symphony, but it’s not about Leningrad under siege, it’s about the Leningrad that Stalin destroyed and that Hitler merely finished off.

question: How does an artist’s work relate to the people who are living in an atmosphere of fear and repression? How does the artist’s expression of resistance translate to the audience? Is this a viable form of resistance? What can you do to expose the truth of the government in your own country? Which artists can you name that have music or art that speaks in resistance?

(please answer in comments below)

I can think of many. The english rock band 'Muse' is one, whose last few albums have been dedicated to exposing and opposing the secrecy of government and elite world rulers, and their degradation of the populations. the American progressive rock band 'Dream Theater' has a song called 'Prophets (profits) of War'.

In 1948 Shostakovich, and other composers, were denounced for formalism in the Zhdanov decree. The RSFSR Supreme Soviet, accused composers like Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Kabalevsky for writing inappropriate and formalist music. They were forced to make public apologies, works were banned, and family had privileges withdrawn. Yuri Lyubimov says that at this time "he waited for his arrest at night out on the landing by the lift, so that at least his family wouldn't be disturbed." For Shostakovich, the loss of money was perhaps the largest blow. Suspicion was thick. people would turn in their friends, in order to save themselves. No one wanted their work to be understood as formalist, so many resorted to accusing their colleagues of writing or performing anti-proletarian music.

an excellent recent example of this is the movie 'The Lives of Others' which takes place in 1984 East Germany, which was basically the soviet union of Germany, before the wall came down. artists and writers had heavy surveillance by the Stazi (secret police), and are not allowed their artistic freedom, and when people step out of line, people snitch each other out, even if they are close, even lovers!! watch it if you dont understand, good movie!

'Testimony-the Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich'

This is the method that Stalin used to control art in Communist Russia.

“The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous. All dictators try to create an apparatus for managing “their” art; the one that Stalin built is still the most effective the world had ever known. He secured from Soviet creative figures an unprecedented degree of submissiveness in the service of his continuingly shifting propaganda goals. Stalin strengthened and perfected the system of “creative unions.” Within the framework of this system, the right to work (and therefore to live as an artist) comes only to those officially registered and approved. The creative unions of writers, composers, artists, et al. were formed, beginning in 1932, as bureaucratic organizations with strictly defined ranks and with equally strong accountability and constant cross-checking. Every organization had a branch of “security services,” or secret police, as well as innumerable unofficial informers. Any attempt to circumvent one’s union ended badly: various forms of pressure and repression were always ready. Moreover, obedience was rewarded. Behind this well-oiled and smoothly running mechanism stood the figure of Stalin, an inevitable presence that often gave events a grotesque, tragicomic coloration.”

In America, people are controlled in a kind of 'smoke screen' way. Useless and non-relevant celebrity and political hype fills television screens and dictate the collective knowledge of the population.

“Tell a lie loud enough and long enough and people will believe it.”

- Adolf Hitler

this is exactly what happened with 9/11

the addition of fluoride in the water supply helps to keep people complacent and apathetic. the nazis used flouride in their concentration camps for the same purpose.

http://truth11.com/2009/12/01/nazi-connections-to-flouride-in-americas-drinking-water/

la lala lala lala

"Music illuminates a person and provides him with his last hope; even Stalin, a butcher, knew that, and that was why he hated music" -Shostakovich

we also have to remember that history is taught different, in different educational institutions, and is, about many historical moments, usually wrong, as they are biased towards the agenda of whichever corporate or political entity owns and controls it.

Wars have been fought, and depressions have been caused in the battle over who issues the money; however the majority of us are not aware of this, and this is largely due to the fact that the winning side is the main influence over huge aspects of our lives like education, media and our governments.

ever hear of the Rothschild family????

yea...

good example:

if you ask any Russian, "who won WWII?" they will say 'russia'. in america it is taught that 'america won' (allied forces). most likely, Leningrad would have fallen had not Allied forces dumped in tanks and air support. But if you were educated in Russia, that is not so.

great example:

what happened on 9/11, and why? any school textbook will tell you the standard 'official' story of terrorist hijackers. any amount of individual research will show you that the THREE WTC buildings fell to demolition. this has been proven by 1,627 verified architectural and engineering professionals and scientists.

http://www.ae911truth.org/

but why?

easy. look to the massive corporate and political interests involved.

How does USA Compare to Nazi Germany- AFTER 9-11?

• Reichstag is burned = Jew Bogie Man = Hitler gets Enabling Act

• Buildings hit on 9-11 = Muslim Bogie Man = We get Patriot Act

• Hitler gets Der Fatherland = We get Homeland

• Hitler says we need to protect Der Fatherland = We get Homeland Security

• Hitler says we need to protect Germans from Jew Bogie Man = Brown Shirts

• We need to Protect Americans from Muslim Bogie Man = TSA

• New security force = Gestapo = TSA to commit Felony Sexual Battery when you Fly, go on Train, Go on Bus NOW NFL Football Games

• Hitler Gets Police State to Control Germans

• We get Police State to Control Americans

• Hitler wants to expand Germany he starts Wars = America Invades Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen and Syria- unconstitutional wars with no end in sight.

If Shostakovich was alive today, and was American, he'd be pissed. I dont think, however, that he would live in fear, as i dont think any of us have to.

I congratulate the Occupiers for standing up and resisting the status-quo of apathy and submission, and to anyone who is doing their part. If i were there, i would blast these symphonies LOUD and CLEAR.

canals of st petes

this is the Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospect, across from the concert hall

i felt cheated that night.

i had not been that unsatisfied after any type of music performance for a long time! not like the tickets were expensive though, as i get major discount or free entry with my conservatory student ID

this is a memorial on the wall in the neighborhood where he lived.

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my composition class is held in the same room that Dimitri Shostakovich taught in for 30 years:

i really enjoy the room, there are two Bluthner grand pianos and original paintings of composers including Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Boris Tischenko, who was Shostakovich's student. this puts me in the Shostakovich lineage as my teacher, Svetlana Nesterova was taught by Boris Tischenko.

documentary with footage of Shostakovich: